Lung Cancer Awareness Month: Focus on Importance of Screening
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and as in other observances, now is a good a time as any to focus on sharing information about this disease, and about the important role that early detection plays in its treatment and management.
It is the goal of the American Lung Association (ALA) to increase public awareness about lung cancer, as well as to urge everyone to proactively make an effort to prevent its onset, or treat it in time if it does occur. Irwin Berlin, M.D., Board Chair of the American Lung Association in New York, shared: “Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of both men and women in New York State.”
Dr. Berlin shared further: “Lung cancer affects both smokers and nonsmokers. Regardless of smoking history, no one deserves lung cancer and that’s the message we need all New Yorkers to hear and embrace. We need New Yorkers to do what they can to limit their risk and be aware of the resources that are out there to help them should they or a family member face a lung cancer diagnosis. The more we can raise awareness about lung cancer and gain the public’s support to help fight this disease, the more lives we can save and the more we can improve the quality of life for those patients suffering from this disease.”
Lung cancer is known to be caused by cigarette smoke, exposure to radon, and industrial exposure to such hazardous materials as asbestos and arsenic. In order to prevent lung cancer and lower one’s risk for developing the disease, the ALA makes the following suggestions:
• Do not smoke; and if you are, stop.
• Avoid exposure to second-hand smoke.
• Be aware about exposure to industrial compounds, and if you are, find out how you are being protected.
• Test your home for radon.
• Be active in the fight against pollution.
